What's new at the Book?

November 16, 2015
* Added my entry to the 2015 Royal Academy Of Bards Halloween Invitational. It's a Mel and Janice Halloween Story titled "Who's Jack". My thanks go once again to Norsebard for proof-reading, and of course to the Academy for the invite :)

July 14, 2014
* If you've already read Crazed Ramblings, I encourage you to go back to the very ending, where I've hidden a little easter egg. Be warned it's not exactly G-rated.
If you haven't read the story yet, what are you waiting for? ;)

July 12, 2014
* I never thought I'd say this, but
the conclusion
of Crazed Ramblings is now up and ready for your perusal. Yes, it is finished! Special thanks to Norsebard for giving it a once-over.

July 2, 2014
*
Part 5
of Crazed Ramblings is now complete. Part 6 is in the making. This might be the final part.

June 10, 2014
* Added a few paragraphs to
part 5
of Crazed Ramblings. Still not complete, but the plot thickens....

September 08, 2013
* Long time coming: a small addition to
part 5
of Crazed Ramblings. Still not complete.

June 20, 2013
* Added the first half of
part 5
of Crazed Ramblings. It's not complete; bits of it might change before the part is complete.

March 13, 2013
* Part 4
of the rewrite of "Crazed Ramblings" is up! This part also contains new content - the section is now complete.

February 26, 2013
* Part 3
of the rewrite of "Crazed Ramblings" is back up.

February 20, 2013
* After it's been gathering dust for ten years, I finally dug this up and finished it: Birthday Bard
- the 17th TellMe-Story. Post-FIN, if that still makes a difference after all this time. The girls, of course, have their own way of dealing with stuff *G*

August 16, 2012
* Part 2
of the rewrite of "Crazed Ramblings" is back up.

August 13, 2012
* I decided to try and get Isabelle an Xena of "Crazed Ramblings" out of that corner I wrote them into
over a decade ago. No promises yet, but I have started by taking down all the parts
for a slight rewrite. Part 1 is back up.

May 02, 2009
* Cleaned out a few dead links. There were less than I feared, which makes me happy.
* I hear that people are still getting enjoyment out of my old stories. This also makes me happy :)

April 15, 2008
* Nearly ten years ago, a friend made my first little website for me, holding "Possibilities" and the first chapter or so of "The Warrior, The Witch and the Nightmare", back then titled something terribly goofy that I won't repeat :). I've learned much about making websites (and hopefully about writing) since, and I'm only glad you can't see my first hesitant steps anymore - heh. Ahhh, the memories.
(the counter was reset during one of my moves, in case you're wondering.)

July 30, 2007
* Xandra's Model, our ill-tempered but well-loved cat
Cilli,
passed away today, at the age of nearly 20 years. She was with us for more than half my life; my parents' house won't
be the same without her.

March 22, 2006
* Thanks all who have tried my guest book - I assure you I read each and every entry =)
* Cleaned up the links section and removed broken links

December 14, 2005
* The guestbook is fixed. Hooray for speedy customer support! =) Why don't y'all give it a test to make sure?

December 13, 2005
* There is a glitch in my guestbook and I've had to disable it for the time being. I hope
the error is fixed soon. Happy Holidays to you all!

April 19, 2005
* Ahem... repeating myself but apologizing again for the lack of new content...
* Added a link to ICQ2Go to the Links/Chat section. It's a web version so there is no need to install any software
(except for the required plugin, I'm afraid)

January 10, 2005
* Happy New Year everyone! Sorry, I haven't really been inclined to write lately... just dropping
in to let you all know I haven't forgotten about this site! :o)

Old News

October 21, 2004
* Added a link to Roselle Graskey's Website.
(Click on the hyperlink or go to the "Bards" category on my Links page)

October 14, 2004
* Houston, we have a lift-off! Welcome to my redsigned site! Let me know if you have any trouble navigating

October 4, 2004
* Added a link to the
"That Girl Band"
homepage. Check them out! (Click on the hyperlink or go to the "Others"
category on the Links page)

August 5, 2004
* Added the prologue and first chapter of the rewrite of
Worlds Apart, Book 1: Below.
This is original fiction, featuring original characters with an original background.
In short, this is not fan fiction anymore, but ALL MINE! Okay, and Katia's too, as
she wrote it with me <G>.

June 24, 2004
* The Guild Of Tales,
my chat room, has received a facelift. Go to SpinCHAT to
get one for your own website, if you like!

Welcome To Xandra's Den!

* Step lightly, Traveller, lest the mighty Huntress wake! *

So! This is your favorite black leopard speaking.
Seems Verrath has got it into her head to let me have my own page. I dunno if
I should feel flattered or no. Anyways, if you came here to see more of that
man chick called Xena something or other she's writing about when she should
be working on my tails - um I mean tales - well, you've come to the wrong
place. This is a CAT page, and I will keep it that way no matter what she says.
Got that?? <growl>

Um, Xandra, if I may...?
<gulp> Thank you. Well, what she's trying to say
is that this page will be dedicated less to Xena:Warrior Princess but rather
to all things feline. So, any links I will put up here will likely be cat or
wildlife sites, like the Cat House, where I got all
those beautiful photos for the montages. Okay, folks, and now I think it's time
for a hasty retreat, Xandra is getting that hungry look again.....

Any comments are of course welcome - you can reach me at
Verrath@gmx.de

Xandra: Warrior Panther Stories

How was I born? Long story, but I guess the long and short of it is
that Verrath just adores us big cats (and who can blame her?)
and finally realized that no man warrior can come close to the grace and
power we possess. So, I guess I'm sort of a tribute to Xena: Warrior
Princess, and these tales are an attempt to populate a completely
different world with some familiar-looking characters. I don't know if
I like that idea, though. I think I need a talk with my personal bard.
Now where did that she-man go...?

Meet The Critters!

Jungle Denizens

Baalh

He has got to be one of the biggest pythons I have ever seen.
He's one of the few I prefer to stay clear of, although I suspect
the reverse is true also. We've had our little run-ins in the past,
though.

Callicia

A Man-bred terror, born of a tiger but fathered by a leopard.
For some reason, she blames me for being what she is. She won't
rest until I'm defeated. Of course that means she'll never
rest, right?

Cannabis

This darling little wolf cub is Herac's daughter. Unfortunately,
she is lost in the jungle. I shudder to think what type of friends
she might make there, if she survives long enough.

Cocksure

Ugh. This raven is a pain in my tail. Always there when you least
need him (then again, you never really need him), always making
a fool of himself and endangering everybody in the process. But I guess
he has a good heart, in a birdbrained sort of way.

Old Cyclone

Unpleasant fellow, that one. He's an old renegade elephant who
got a little too rampant for a while, until I confronted him. He's
lost an eye during our... discussion, and hates me for it. He adores
Ginelle, though.

Frilly and Lace

Impossible to look at those two singly, as they are inseparable.
They never shut up, and what's worse, they talk too quickly for
any sane being to understand. Also, they will not stay in one place
for long enough to focus on them. They adore Ginelle. Everybody does,
looks like.

Ginelle

My leopard friend. I don't know why I like her so much. She's soft, pampered, doesn't
know how to hunt, and she actually likes the mans. But I do,
Amarok help me. Maybe it's because she's the only one who isn't afraid
of me, no matter how grumpy I get. Ah, the sweetness of innocence.
Ginelle has a rare talent called Singing, which is the Circle's way
of tapping into the forces of nature through a magical Song. She is
still learning the ropes of it, though. She is being taught by
Mayla.

Herac

Alpha wolf of our local pack. It's rumored to be one of the
biggest ever, although I'm sure I've seen bigger. I just can't
remember at the moment. He's noble, strong and wise beyond his
years. In short, he's disgustingly good.
He does have this strange notion of being Amarok's son.
We're on a precarious truce most of the time, he and I.

Isegrim

Herac's second-in-command, and best friend. Isegrim still
holds a grudge against me from long ago. But what's one more or
less of those for me?

Mayla

Half the time I don't know whether to be annoyed or grateful
to her. When she was alive, she was my mentor and friend. She has
taught me more things than I care to count, and she got herself
killed protecting me, silly thing. Now she's come back as a ghost,
and I still don't understand a word she's saying, with that strange
language of hers. Ginelle does, though, it's making me crazy!
She used to be a Singer in her mortal life, and has agreed to teach
Ginelle the Song.

Mahogany

The King Stag. A very impressive character. Even I would
hesitate to go up against him. He is one of the most fervent
followers of the Circle, which is good because it means he lets
me eat members of his herd without thinking of revenge.

Voracia

Filthy bitch. Leader of a mangy pack of hyenas. She's nothing
but trouble, but she's learned to stay well clear of me.

Animal Deities

The Great Cat. Arrogant, pesky, and always there when you're
least ready to deal with him. Sort of handsome, though, I suppose.
Must be his black coat. Black is what to wear, I say.

Amalthea

She's the Owl. Very wise. For some reason, I haven't met her
yet.

Amarok

The Wolf. He's said to be the leader of all the gods. Herac
claims to be his son. I'm starting to believe him, actually.

Aphreek

The Love-Bird is so sweet she makes me choke. Luckily, she
hasn't crossed my path much yet.

Artis

Haven't met her either, although I admit I'm a little curious
about her, even if I'm not partial to gods generally. She's said to
appear either as a hawk or a bear. They come in all types, I guess.

Memekueshishkueu

All right, that name is a mouthful. That's why I call her Mem.
She hates it, which is another reason why I do it. She's also known
as the Vixen or the Fox, and mate to Amarok. Don't ask me how these
inter-species things work; they're gods, after all.

Pythus

Torran's pet. He's a huge, three-headed serpent with the head of
a python on one end, adder and cobra on the other. You can't really
help getting on the wrong side of him...

Torran

The Red Bull. He's the guardian of the Netherworld, and not one to
cross. Although he's been known to have a soft spot or two.

Mans

Bethany

Got to include her, I suppose, since she's sort of like
Ginelle's mother. I guess she's not too bad. For a she-man,
anyway. She's what they call a scientist. I have to give her credit
for wanting to save the jungle and its creatures.

Franz

He's also a scientist, working with Bethany. More laid-back
than her, and almost likeable despite being a man. Almost.

Images

More Xandra:Warrior Panther images and artwork can be found in the Book Of Tales
Artwork section.

Check this: someone's doing Verrath's work for her - here are three covers by Lucy Piper, for all three of my
tales, even those that haven't been written. See, Verrath, not everybody is a slacker like you are!

Man, it's about time Verrath caught sight of what's important again - ME!
She made this little wallpaper of Ginelle and I. Not really original if you ask me, all she did was
stick together a sketch or two, but hey - at least she paid us some attention.

Here's one of Herac the wolf. Don't blame ME, I
didn't really, really want it there, but my she-man threatened to cut
down on my tuna... what can I say, I'm easy. Besides, we've got Callicia,
so we might as well have Herac, too.

Check this out! My beautiful mentor from the far east, the snow leopard Mayla, in a wallpaper-sized
montage!

Now this one I could do without!! It's that blasted Callicia, and the little wolf pup she
adopted. I wonder if Herac knows where his darling daughter is...

Oh, and believe it or not, my other "parent" is a house cat named Cilli. I've
been told her disposition is even more surly than mine (Did I just say that
out loud???)
Click on the image to see "Her Haughtiness" in full size.

Geeze, would you look at that?? Verrath has gone a little crazy over this set of effigies
of Ginelle and me that a friend gave to her... Pah! As if they even came close
to showing our true beauty! But they're not bad, considering they're man-made.
Thanks a lot, Mayn, I hope you know what you've done... <growl>. Click
the image to see it full size..

Cat Links

Please note that most of the external sites referenced from
this site are maintained by persons other than myself, and therefore
contain material over which I have no control. Accordingly, I assume no
responsibility for the content of any such remote site listed
here.

Big Cats Online - Great resource if you wanna
find out about me and my wild cousins all over the world.

The Cat House - I'm tellin' you, these guys
*know* we cats are the most gorgeous creatures on this earth, and
they've got some great photos of me and all my cousins over there,
plus a lot of background information, and even a few sounds!

Wolf Park
- Take a peek at Herac and his cousins. Nice photographs, plus lots of
other stuff on the big guy and his family.

AnimalPlanet - A man TV channel that shows all
kinds of man stuff concerning animals. Sometimes they even show
something about us wild beasts. This is their web page. Check it out if
ya can't get to look at us in the flesh. It beats never seeing us at
all. <G>